Fun for Kids: San Antonio and the Alamo

February 07, 2008

by
findingDulcinea Staff

Hearing someone recite the familiar line, "Remember the Alamo" evokes images of Texas and gunfights. Today you can visit the Alamo—both the real site of the famous battle, or the interactive, kid-friendly Web site—along with millions of other. The city of San Antonio offers other unique attractions for kids and families, and all are easy to visit.

Founded as a Catholic mission (Mission San Antonio de Valero) in the early 1700s, the Alamo, as it was later renamed, means "cottonwood" in Spanish. The mission was secularized by Spanish officials in 1793; the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit at the old mission site in the early 1800s; and the state's first recorded hospital was established there.

Mexico held authority over the Alamo in 1821, and when Santa Anna embarked on a centralist rule for the country, he created tension between his government and other Texans. Hostilities over his leadership style continued to grow until Texas revolutionaries began to battle Mexican troops. A twelve-day battle ultimately ensued at the Alamo; hundreds were killed. The Alamo's Web site states that the battle still represents "a heroic struggle against impossible odds—a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom." In 1845, the United States annexed Texas. Eventually, the U.S. government purchased the Alamo's chapel and other buildings.

One of the legendary participants in the battle of the Alamo was David "Davy" Crockett, famous for his abilities as an adventurer, bear hunter, and Indian fighter. His life would make him the subject of many a tall tale (but he really did wear a raccoon cap). Crockett's very real role in the Alamo was that of morale booster for the fighters defending the mission. He played his fiddle to encourage the troops and provided advice to military commanders. He died there at the hands of Santa Anna's troops.

The Disney television series, from the early 1950s, about Davy Crockett immortalized him with a popular and catchy tune, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett." You can read the lyrics to the ballad and sing along to a sound clip at the Davy Crockett Craze Web site.

These days, you can find accomplishments and strange feats of all varieties in the “Guinness Book of World Records,” and San Antonio is home to one of the entries. Just south of the Alamo is the Fairmont Hotel, a three-story brick structure built in 1906. The Fairmont's claim to world-record fame is that it is the largest building ever moved fully intact. It took four days, in 1985, to move the 3.2-million-pound building—50 feet at a time—the length of five city blocks. The move cost $650,000.

After the Alamo was no longer a working church, its congregation joined the San Fernando Cathedral. Constructed between 1738 and 1749, this cathedral holds the record as the longest continually operating cathedral in the United States. It’s also the oldest building in the state of Texas. Today, the church is kept quite busy; more than 5,000 people a week attend weekend masses. More than 900 baptisms, 110 funerals, and 100 weddings are performed there each year.